VT EARS (Early Academic Referral System)

VT EARS (Early Academic Referral System) is a program which
has been developed as a tool to assist faculty to proactively identify
and refer undergraduate students who may be experiencing academic
difficulty early within a semester. Research indicates that intervention
within the first 6-8 weeks of the semester can make a difference.

VT EARS also
provides an opportunity for collaboration among faculty and the
students’ academic college to ensure a mutual commitment towards
academic success by providing immediate help to identified undergraduate
students. Faculty play an integral role as they are responsible for
initiating the referral through VT EARS. This can be done
easily by entering Faculty Access through Hokie Spa. Faculty will simply
choose the “Faculty and Student Menu” and locate the “Early Academic
Referral System Menu” to identify the particular undergraduate student
(s) and select the reason for the referral from a predetermined list of
options. That referral will automatically be forwarded on to the
students’ academic college who will initiate contact with the student
within 5 business days. Follow-up with the undergraduate student will be
individually tailored to meet both issues identified in the referral,
as well as other needs identified by the students.

VT EARS has
a significant impact on student success because of its potential to:
(1) increase awareness of the academic support networks, (2) reduce the
number of undergraduate students on academic probation or suspension,
(3) reaffirm the institution’s commitment to at risk students, and (4)
increase engagement between faculty and undergraduate students.